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Gmail Security - Two factor authentication

The Gmail provides excellent tools for anti-spam and anti-viruses. The username and password authentication is great, and you can make this more secure using two factor authentication or 2 step verification.

Here's how to activate the 2-Step Verification using your Gmail or Google Apps email.

Login to your email at Gmail.com

In the upper right-corner of your browser, click on your email address, then click Account Settings.

Under Security, click on "Using 2-Step verification" to generate the codes.

For this example, I will use my iPhone, (also available for Android and BlackBerry). So in Mobile Application, click on iPhone. The next page will provide information on how to download the Google Authenticator for iPhone, done that and I am ready to go.

Using my iPhone Google Authenticator, click the (+) sign to add, click the Scan Barcode, and scan the code in your Gmail account.

In the iPhone Google Authenticator, you will see a 6-digits number to be use to verify your account. You have 60 seconds to key-in these numbers to your Gmail for verification. If successful, the email system will force you to re-login using your username, password, and now with the 6-digits number (2-step verification).

This complete your 2-step verification. Every time you log-in to your gmail account, you will enter your username, password, and 6-digits pin. The 6-digits number changes every 60 seconds.

How about your iPhone Gmail access? You don't need to enter the username, password, and 6-digits number in your iPhone every time you access your email through iPhone. Here's how to simplify this process.

Configure you iPhone after the 2-step verification.

While still log-in to your email account. Click on your email address (upper right-corner of the screen), then Account Settings.

This is a sample message that I used for terminated employees, unless HR staff specified a different message. === Example for KING.NET Employee === John Doe (employee or consultant) is no longer with KING.NET effective June 1, 2008 (termination date). For matters relating to "Project Name here" please direct your concerns to John Smith at johnsmith@king.net (Manager or Supervisor). For all other matters, please direct your email to Mary Smith HR at marysmith@king.net. Please call our main office 703-345-6789 if you have other concerns.Thank you.=== end of message ===

I have a user in Windows Pro 7, and Windows Server 2003 environment that is frequently account locked out. I tried many different scenarios to resolve this account lockout issue, from resetting his password, changing a new password, remove and re-join the domain, rebooting the workstation and active directory servers.

I tried to use the command prompt utility to run "rundll32.exe keymgrdll, KRShowKeyMgr" (case sensitive) to delete the account in Windows 7 password cache, and still no luck.

Still searching for answer ... Let me know if you encounter a similar issue in Windows Pro 7 and Windows Server 2003.